A herbal drug for diabetes that costs Rs.5 per pill, developed by two Lucknow-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories, the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), and licensed to Delhi-based Aimil Pharamaceuticals Pvt. Ltd for commercialization, has been launched in parts of north India.
The drug, branded BGR-34, is a combination of natural extracts derived from four plant species mentioned in ancient Ayurveda texts. The drug available in the form of a 500 milligram (mg) pill is a twice-a-day treatment for patients suffering from type-2 diabetes.
BGR-34 was approved by AYUSH—the ministry that deals with traditional Indian medicine—after testing on 1,000 patients over a period of 18 months across five states—Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Karnataka—with 67% patients showing normal blood sugar levels within 3-4 days of drug usage.
The drug, to be taken as an add-on or adjuvant to existing diabetes treatment, helps in maintaining normal blood glucose levels, in addition to improving the immune system, releasing antioxidants and checking free radicals.
BGR-34 is different from existing herbal drugs as it is scientifically tested and made from four commonly available plant extracts like gurmar leaves which make it commercially viable. Gurmar, scientifically known as Gymnema sylvestre, is known to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin.
But endocrinologists are sceptical about the efficacy of herbal drugs.
“Herbal medicines are not cheap, we don’t know the long-term side-effects of these drugs, the mechanism of action; there is hardly any data available, and we hear these things from newspapers over reputed scientific journals,” said Shyam Kalavalapalli, a Hyderabad-based endocrinologist.
Contrary to the claims of no side-effects, herbal medicines were found to have high concentrations of heavy metals in many studies, Kalavalapalli said.
Extracted from http://www.livemint.com/Politics/J95GlqSM05mR7W1geHfuRN/Five-rupee-herbal-pill-to-treat-diabetes.html
